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Editorial
'Help wanted' signs out for truck industry
Monday, February 13, 2012
By 2018, the United States will need about 2 million people in a job that earns in the mid-30,000s of dollars a year.
You don't need a college degree, but you do need to be able to pass a drug screening test, have no felony convictions and have a good driving record
Sound interesting?
Dennis Holtz thinks it is; he ran his own livestock hauling company for many years, and trained a major sporting goods company's truck drivers for eight years. Now, he uses his approximate 1,750,000 miles of driving experience in his job as commercial drivers license third party examiner and training instructor at the Nebraska Safety Center in Kearney, training new and experienced truck drivers both at Kearney and on-site around the state.
Like the rest of the economy, the trucking industry suffered when the recession set in, shedding about 150,000 jobs since the beginning of 2008, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. The median pay for truckers, $37,730 in May 2009, has probably also dropped since then.
One thing that hasn't dropped is the age of the average trucker: 57, Holtz said. That's why we'll need 2 million drivers in the next six years.
And, it's definitely and equal-opportunity job; 40 percent of drivers are female, he said.
The safety center offers several different courses for over-the-road drivers, including a professional truck driver training course that begins Tuesday, plus commercial driver license and defensive driving courses and others.
For more information call (308) 865-8256 or (308) 865-8562.
We also noticed that Dallas Cobb of McCook has started Trucking Compliance Services LLP after 23 years with the Nebraska State Patrol Carrier Enforcement Division, to help truckers to comply with state and federal regulations. More information on that business is available at (308) 737-0062.
When the economy turns around, and it will, nearly all of the goods that will meet the increasing demand will be hauled by trucks that need drivers.
By getting the right training and maintaining the right personal standards, many Southwest Nebraska residents can be in position to support themselves and their families by meeting that need.